Best Places42784, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42784, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
42784 ranks 27,755th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on affordable childcare, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42784
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
42784's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42784 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$689 a month, better than 76% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 68% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 67% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 63% of zip codes
Where 42784 ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 67 pleasant days a year, better than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42784
A household needs to earn about $46,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42784 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $59,599, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 42784's effective rate of 0.57%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 42784
42784 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 42784.
Who works in 42784, and how
Work in 42784 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 42784
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42784.
What the weather is like in 42784, month by month
42784 sees roughly 67 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 34° | 27° |
| April | 68° | 56° | 45° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 42784
The nearest airport, Louisville Muhammad Ali International, is about 50 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 101 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42784
Schools across 42784 average a C−, better than 23% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Abraham Lincoln Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Creekside Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
- Memorial Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Hardin Middle SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Larue County Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Central Hardin High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Larue County High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Hart County High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42784 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42784 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 42784 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42784
Is 42784 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42784 ranks 27,755th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, low property taxes, and low crime, and lowest on thin health care access and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42784 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $181,578. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $59,599 median income, cost of living beats 28% of zip codes.
Is 42784 safe?
Yes, 42784 is safer than 68% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $234 per resident a year.
Compare 42784 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42784. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42784 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
42784 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42784: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42784: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42784: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42784: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42784 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.